DAYS 212- 219: 8 DAYS @ ANCHOR: Marathon to Lignumvitae Key - Tarpon Basin, Key LargoTarpon Basin, Key Largo to No Name Harbor, Biscayne Bay - Santa Barbara/Lettuce Lake, Ft Lauderdale - West Palm Beach - Peck Lake on the ICW
OK, this section is a little long and I have tried to organize it the best I could. It is wild
West Palm Beach to Peck Lake off the ICW: 6.8 mph; 30.7 miles; 4:31 hours
NOTE: There were a lot more bridges between Santa Barbara/Lettuce Lake and West Palm Beach. Either they were tall enough or already opened when we passed through.
FREE Mooring Balls at the Lignumvitae Key: There are four mooring balls on the south side of the island. The state park allows you to stay on a ball, free, for up to seven days. Catching the mooring was easy because the line sat on top of the water. I threaded our line like a pro - wish I had learned trick this earlier. Snorkeling must be great here because of the number of dive boats.
Lignumvitae Island is the Keys is 19’ above sea level, the highest of the keys, and a botanical state park. We were lucky to have a private tour with Ranger Chris and enjoyed the island. There’s an original home you can visit (aka: shade and bug-free safe space) and up-to-date composting toilets for island guests. Be on the lookout for iguanas! Apparently, and this is according to a reliable source, they can be as big as dogs.
WARNING: The state does not treat the island for pests; translation: bring bug spray - the mosquitoes are vicious - people, this is not a drill.
HISTORY: The island is covered with a rare tropical hardwood called Holywood Lignum-vitae. There is a house on the island made of coral bedrock revealing fossils from 100,000 years ago; the house was built sometime around 1930 by the Matheson Family out of Miami. Matheson was a chemist and added copper gutters emptying into a cistern to capture fresh rainwater.
PARK INFO: The state park is open to the public Mondays and Friday-Sunday (guided tours). The park only allows 50 people on the island at any one time; of those 50 visitors, only 25 are allowed on the trail during a guided tour. You will need to bring shoes and mosquito repellent. The guided tours are an hour in length. There is no fishing or swimming allowed within 100 feet of the dock. The waters surrounding the dock acts as a nursery for a lot of different fish; we saw: mullet, barracuda, ciro.
WORD OF WARNING: WE TRAVELED THE ICW. PAST LIGNUMVITAE KEY AT HIGH TIDE. CLEARLY MARKED ON THE CHARTS, THIS SECTION IS LISTED TO BE THE MOST SHALLOW STRETCH OF ALL THE ICW. A BIG BOAT WAS INFRONT OF US SO WE FOLLOWED HIS WAKE. WE SAW REAL LOW NUMBERS, STAYED IN THE CHANNEL, AND DROVE ‘NO FASTER THAN YOU WANT TO HIT SOMETHING.’ IF YOU ARE LARGER THAN US (3.5’ DRAFT), WHEN LEAVING MARATHON, OR LIGNUMVITAE, HEAD BACK TO HAWK CHANNEL AND PICK UP THE ICW IN BISCAYNE BAY.
Tarpon Basin, Key Largo, ANCHORAGE
This was a hell of a day. We knew it would be a ‘jolly ride’; so, before we left the park we went for a quick swim. I said, we and swim in the same sentence, meaning, Jim went for a swim and I eased in for a total of 5 seconds - it was cold!
The charts are very clear around markers 80-76 that this is the most shallow stretch of the ICW. S H A L L O W. If you wander too far from the marker, you will see just how shallow it really is. See that bird walking next to your boat? Yep, that’s shallow. How we never grounded is a mystery to me - Jim used those mad boating skills. I would have anchored and cried. I did see two bonehead sharks - super cool.
ANCHORAGE: This anchorage is protected on all sides and a great place to just drop anchor - nothing else. The locals decided to close the municipal dinghy dock because of derelict boaters. Genius move, this is such a perfect anchorage and Key Largo decided to refuse the revenue from passing boats.
The mosquitoes ran us indoors as soon as the sun was down. We'll only be here one night before moving on to Biscayne Bay.
No Name Harbor, Biscayne Bay, ANCHORAGE
No great story in travel today - just boatin’ along and seeing the sights.
ANCHORAGE: This harbor is a popular place on the weekend. WOW - it’s Sunday and packed. We peeked our head in and saw 10-15 boats; we decided to anchor outside the harbor with the sailboats. Listening to what other boaters have to say, I think I understand there is a $20 charge per night for the harbor area, a pay-ahead shower for anyone, and a DIY pump out station with rocky walls so you should use all your fenders. Boaters also say that there is an expensive Winn-Dixie 1.5 miles from the entrance of the park; I guess you could hike there and Lyft back with provisions.
On the outside of the harbor, it’s a anchorage is a little rocky before dark but then settles a little. We can see the Miami skyline from here and that’s as close as I’d like to get. Tomorrow, we move north through Miami and Lauderdale to the Pompano Beach area.
HISTORY: Biscayne Bay is a National Park that spans nearly 173,000 acres (95% is the actual Bay), and known for its biodiversity. There are four different ecosystems here: coastal, mangrove hammocks, lagoon, and a coral limestone key. It is the third largest coral offshore reef in the WORLD. Twenty of the world’s threatened, or endangered, aquatic species are here like the Hawksbill sea turtle and the American crocodile. The bay is also home to a rare bird called a mangrove cuckoo. When cruising through, watch your markers and stay in the channel; you’ll be just fine.
MORE PLACES TO ANCHOR: Before No Name Harbor, there’s a marina on the south tip of the park at Boca Chita Key, Biscayne Bay, and a few anchorages along Elliott Key. Mostly though, you head north to No Name Harbor for anchoring. A lot of people stop here and wait for a weather window before crossing to the Bahamas. I really wish we could have done that. Next time we will.
On the way to Santa Barbara/Lettuce lake, Pompano Beach
You will pass through Miami, Ft Lauderdale, the mecca of cruise ship enterprises to get to this anchorage. You are in for an eye opening experience! It’s like boating through a washing machine that’s off balance. Insanity everywhere and Florida boaters don’t take responsibility for their wake - amazing. Cops and coast guard everywhere. Big boats, little boats, fast boats, small boats, then a jet ski and add a row boat. The Mississippi was easier than this because you knew you were dealing with Mother Nature. Here, you are dealing with some random yahoo with a set of boat keys.
Hollywood Marina (short stop)
Because we like to be on the hook, we were in need of a pump-out. This is a GREAT little marina with a large anchorage just outside the docks. I would have stayed here if we needed a marina/mooring.
Camino Royale Bridge: There was a vessel named, Mr Louie, what a piece of work this guy! Yes, he had an enormous boat, guessing 150’, and yes, he was waiting for a south bound passage through a drawbridge … like everyone else; brilliance is blinding, he staged himself immediately outside the bridge in the middle of the canal. Now, on the other side of the drawbridge, were several boats awaiting north bound passage. How did he think this would work? If he went first, how would we displace ourselves out of his way inside a canal? If we went first, how would we get around him? Well, north bound was first through the bridge and a passing female captain gave him an earful. Not sure he was ready for that - she was colorful.
Santa Barbara/Lettuce Lake, Pompano Beach Area ANCHORAGE
This anchorage is pretty big, surrounded by beautiful homes, and gives wind protection NWS plus some from the East. Sailboats remained pretty constant but we swirled around a bit in the higher winds. Never lost our hold though. An estimated dozen boats would fit with room to spare. Ton of wakes during daylight hours because the day boaters leaving their docks blow through the boats at anchor. Honestly, you need to watch out for that because the wakes can be massive.
We are moving north tomorrow to another anchorage in the Palm Springs area.
West Palm Beach ANCHORAGE
Just past the Royal Palm Bridge, and Mar-a-Lago (spectacular and I really want to go there), you’ll find West Palm Beach, WPB, on both sides of the canal. On the West side, there are two free day docks, no overnight docking, and deep anchorages on both sides of the channel. It does get a little shallow on the East side of the canal near the shore/houses; don’t let the landowner’s boats fool you, the home owners have channeled out a path for their vessels to come and go. Just watch where the sailboats anchor and go with that - they always need deeper water.
West Palm Beach was not what I thought it would be; I must have been in the wrong part. I thought it was supposed to be like Rodeo Drive in LA. Maybe those stores are on the East side between the other two bridges with Mar-a-Lago. What this West Palm Beach turned out to be is a pretty hoppin’ place in the evening with a small art district. There is a park along the water and we were able to stretch our legs while we waited for high tide. Yeah, we learned that shallow part the hard way.
North of WPB is a busy shipping area. Prepare to round Peanut Island to the right or drop anchor and have a ball!
HISTORY: Peanut Island is a little island full of fun and surrounded by clear waters for exploring above and below. In the beginning, it was simply a spoil area that turned into something more. They once had plans to make it a port stop for Peanut Oil. The development plans fell through but the name stuck. After that, It became a full on party island until WPB took over and brought civility. Now there is a full time ranger, restrooms, and small visitor center.
Peck Lake off the ICW ANCHORAGE
Just a normal cruising day surrounded by beautiful homes. One home was a $90 Million, canal to ocean, estate. Really. That's just crazy money.
We saw a manatee looking for warmer waters. Don’t they tell each other where to find the warm springs? Then there’s the pod of dolphins that just shows up at the strangest times - fun to watch.
ANCHORAGE: This place is super nice. We plan to return after Manatee Pocket. The anchorage is huge and supports a dozen, plus, boats. From the south, you turn into the anchorage after G19. There is shoaling on the south end of the lake and another shallow spot just north of G19. Watch your depth finder and you’ll be just fine. Rain came our way during the night until early morning, but we barely moved.
Tomorrow we head to the Manatee Pocket and Manatee Marina. The marina only offers water and electricity so I have a hair appointment at the Powder Puff across the street. Let’s hope this works.
Thoughts about such a long time at anchor:
This is the longest period of time, 8 days, we have been on the hook. I like the hook because it’s quiet and private. We manage our power and water so there’s enough to go around, including showers. I don’t like going more than a week without washing my hair - only to end up in downtown West Palm Beach with dirty hair. Other than that, we are well provisioned with food, snacks, drinks, and water. Lunch gets a little creative because I run out of bread. Good thing I have plenty of saltine crackers and potted meat!
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